Hello all, I hope to get advise on recontracting/new sign up. I am on M1 1gb and use mainly zoom calls, Netflix and dota. No complains about the service past 2 years except for one spot at home furthest from router, in the kitchen, has no reception but no b.
if I recontract, which router is recommended? Currently using ASUS RT AC 2600.
Thank you
I don't think the one-router-per-house fits every single home configuration.
The short answer is, wireless signals lose strength when having to pass through any material - the perfect rated speeds are measured in a vacuum, so even air affects the signal strength somewhat. Then there's also the effect of interference from neighbour wifi signals and other devices.
Just visualise an expanding circle (or sphere) around your router. Any wall, furniture, or other materials in between will attenuate the signal. To give you an idea, here's
@Mach3.2's excellent diagram of his 2 access points in a typical HDB 5 room BTO setup. This is his 5Ghz network signal map. Pay attention to how
a) solid walls (not drywalls) kill the signal
b) doors kill the signal
Add any other furniture and implements in your home and you can get a better picture.
The solution is usually to relocate the router to a more optimal placement, and also to add access points as needed. Even if you were to opt for a wireless mesh, make sure the other mesh nodes either are on a wireless backhaul, or are in strong locations so they can repeat a good signal. In the above image example, there no point putting a node on his WC1 sink countertop or the top right of his MBR, since it won't receive any signal to repeat.
The fact that you have a blind spot in the kitchen, even if it's on the slower 2.4Ghz band which has higher penetrative power, suggests that the location of the router/APs is your main issue because of the signal loss from having to pass through multiple obstacles.
PS: It's not only about the size of the unit. It's also about the furniture and other installations. I have three bookshelves full of books at home, and as you can guess - signals cannot pass through that. I have an in-wall AP in my room and my sister's room because of the furniture layout.
Likewise, I'd expect better peering with Malaysia via Starhub, oddly enough, because of RedOne - although all our local ISPs generally have good connections to Malaysia.